Elton John on Leon Russell: ‘He Was a Mentor, Inspiration’

One of Leon Russell’s biggest fans, and also one of his most well-known collaborators, Elton John, has reacted to the late artist’s passing. Sir Elton tweeted, “My darling Leon Russell passed away last night. He was a mentor, inspiration & so kind to me. I loved him and always will.”

My darling Leon Russell passed away last night. He was a mentor, inspiration & so kind to me. I loved him and alway… twitter.com/i/web/status/7…

Elton John was a huge fan of Leon Russell’s, but his fame soon eclipsed that of his idol. In the 2000s, Russell had nearly faded into obscurity, when John decided to invite him to do a duo album — which was a first for Elton, who had performed duets with other artists, but but never collaborated on an album with another artist for an entire album.

The resulting album, 2010’s The Union, brought Russell back to the limelight, and soon after, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.